Dinner with the Dursley's
by midnightjen
Summary: A series of one-shot companion pieces for Blood of the Phoenix and its sequel Tears of the Phoenix. For Dudley, dinner can be as boring as a salad wilting in summer heat or as remarkable as a late night secret meeting with the cousin he's only just beginning to build a relationship with.
1. Chapter 1

a/n: this is something i've been working on for a while and while it can be taken as a stand alone it is intended to be a series of one-shots companion pieces for my much longer Phoenix series, all of them revolving around a dinner with the Dursley's and all from Dudley's POV. Please let me know what you think.

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It was just another of those lazy summer days. His mother was sitting on the bench in the backyard, drinking homemade lemonade and enjoying a bit of sun while she gossiped away with a friend. His dad was at work doing whatever it was that he did that filled his days—probably yelling. Dudley could clearly picture the vein popping, face purpling as yet another employee managed to do their job properly against all of his dad's expectations.

Dudley was sitting in the kitchen gazing in fond remembrance at the fridge, thinking back on the days when there'd been something worth eating in there. He'd had to settle for some sort of chicken salad _thing_ his mum had whipped up in about two seconds flat. The blow had been softened slightly by the fact that she'd also commented that they'd need to go shopping again soon because his clothes were getting a bit big.

He'd kill for a bloody hamburger dripping in fat and bacon. Cheese. Maybe an extra patty. The piece of lettuce he'd speared onto his fork seemed to wilt slightly under his gaze but that might have been his imagination.

Maybe just a piece of chocolate?

He forced himself to finish off the salad and was just putting the empty bowl into the dishwasher when his mum shrieked his name. The bowl slipped from his fingers, slotting nicely into the dishwasher rather than falling to the floor—thank god, he really didn't want to be cleaning that up. He was out the backdoor in moments and doubled over laughing not a minute later.

His mother's friend had pulled herself as far back onto the bench as she could in an attempt to get away from the large white owl that was perched on the small table they'd set the lemonade up on. His mum seemed to have gotten over the fright at having a big bird swoop down unexpectedly and was reaching what could almost be called an exasperated hand out toward the owl when Dudley recovered himself.

Large amber eyes moved watchfully between his mothers reaching hand and his approaching form.

'Leg,' his mum ordered, a little sharper than she would have had her friend not been sitting right next to her. The owl just stared back at her. 'Hedwig, give me the letter and I'll give you an owl treat.'

Wondering where on earth his mother had been hiding owl treats in the house, Dudley crouched next to Hedwig and offered his arm. Once his mum had removed the roll of parchment attached to her leg she flapped her wings and hopped onto Dudley's outstretched arm. He winced slightly, a reaction to the sharp claws resting gently against his flesh. He'd seen what those claws could do to a mouse.

By the time he'd settled Hedwig in his room with a bowl of water and the promised owl treats he'd rummaged out of the wardrobe in Harry's room—would Harry mind if he moved in there?—his mother had shooed her friend away and was sitting at the kitchen table reading the letter from Harry. Well she was staring at it at least. The look on her face suggested whatever Harry's letter contained it was certainly not what she was expecting.

He reached forward and took the letter from her unresisting hand and sat down opposite to read it.

_Dear Petunia,_

_I'm sorry I haven't written in a while but I've been a bit busy. Dumbledore caught on to what we were doing and that made things even more difficult than they needed to be. I'm safe, mostly unharmed, and still fighting hard against Voldemort. We've done everything we can to make sure he doesn't come after you but I've had some people I trust from MLE put some extra wards around the house. Just don't tell Vernon._

_I reckon it's about time we actually saw each other in person rather than just talking through letters and there's someone I think you should meet. How about dinner at Conrad's at 7pm on the 19__th__? My treat. I doubt you'll get him along but I'll make the booking for five in case you can convince Vernon the free food will be worth it._

_See you soon,_

_Harry_

Dudley wasn't sure they could convince his dad to go along but it was worth a try. He also didn't see what was so startling about the letter that had his mum looking like she'd seen a ghost.

'Alright, mum? Harry's safe and he's taking us to dinner. This is good news. Isn't it?'

'He wants to take us to dinner,' her voice was a bit hollow and Dudley was starting to feel a bit of concern.

'That's what he says.'

She turned slightly so her eyes were locked with his. Dudley about fell out of his chair when he saw that there were tears in her eyes. 'We treated him like dirt; like we didn't care for an instant if he lived or died. We forced him to sleep in a cupboard!'

Dudley flinched, both at the volume of her words and at the reminder that he had been a humongous bully, a complete bastard to a kid who had never been shown any sort of kindness. The fact that he'd been a kid himself didn't make it any better. They'd treated Harry in the worst possible way, refused him the attention and care, the love, he'd deserved as a kid whose only wrong doing in life was to have the misfortune to lose his parents at such a young age.

Dudley had begun to come to terms with this over the past year, even going so far as to talk to someone about it. He'd never tell his dad that though. He'd started making the appropriate changes the moment he'd realised just how bad things were. He'd started taking his diet seriously, put more effort into his school work, and trained harder than ever to be the best boxer he could be.

Because he knew that Harry would save them, they'd ridiculed and emotionally abused him, but he would help them in an instant if he thought they were in trouble. Clearly, despite all of the changes she'd begun to make herself, it hadn't actually hit his mother until just then. Harry's act of kindness, his desire to meet them for dinner, to maintain a connection to the only surviving part of his family, had been a slap to the face.

Confirming his thoughts his mother went on to say, 'Why would he want to have anything to do with us?'

Keeping to himself the fact that it was highly unlikely Harry wanted to have anything to do with his dad; Dudley tried to reassure his mum. 'We're his only family mum and we're doing better, we've been pretty good about it lately. We can't ever make up for what we did to him but we're trying. We're reaching out just as much as he is.'

And since he'd just used up all of the philosophical thought he'd set aside for the next month, he left his mum to it and went to blow up some aliens on his computer. For therapeutic reasons.

When the 19th rolled around Dudley was the only one not nervous about dinner. To be honest the only thing he was really thinking about was the fact that for the first time in about four months he'd be able to eat something that wasn't originally intended for rabbits.

He'd leave the being nervous up to his mum who had changed her dress about twelve times and the grumbling to his dad who had flat out refused to go until his mum pointed out that she had no intention of cooking him anything. That had gotten him dressed pretty quickly and Dudley had rolled his eyes behind his back as he stomped unhappily—and wheezily—up the stairs.

Dudley couldn't say he missed _that_ uncomfortableness.

Losing patience, Dudley was about to suggest they just leave his dad behind when he finally managed to drag himself downstairs and out to the car where he had the audacity to pound the horn like they were the reason they'd be late to dinner.

Through some sort of conspiracy, they were actually able to get to the restaurant early. Dudley felt it may have had something to do with driving like a madman and running a few stop signs but he hadn't wanted to incur his dad's wrath by pointing this out. He felt his mother's tight lipped and sour expression said it all, anyway.

The waitress lead them to a table in the back and after offering them some menus skittered away to take another table's orders. Despite the fact that it was a restaurant they'd been to half a dozen times before—strictly special occasions—Vernon still found the need to critique Harry's choice of restaurant. Dudley tuned him out and concentrated of narrowing down the choices on the menu.

With an efficiency his mother clearly approved of, their waitress was back in a moment asking if she could get them anything to drink while they waited for the rest of their party. Minutes later Dudley was sucking Coke though a straw with a barely concealed moan of pleasure. Sweet sugar!

And promptly choked when Harry sat down with a baby cradled to one shoulder.

Coke went everywhere, missing his mother completely and lightly spraying his father and the table. Too stunned to even begin to clean it up, Dudley just stared at Harry through watery eyes as he coughed in a hopeless attempt to clear his lungs. Across the table his mother had her hand pressed to her chest and she was breathing rapidly.

It was possible his dad was experiencing a stroke.

Harry grinned and signalled for something to clean up the table. As he did so Dudley turned to great the other person that had sat down when Harry arrived. Ally looked a lot different to the last time he'd seen her, admittedly the last time he'd seen her she'd been heavily pregnant and covered in what she had assured him wasn't blood but he'd had a tough time believing her.

Her hair was a bit longer and she was wearing a simple summer dress that Dudley was sure was only reaching passed her knees in order to cover her wand. She smiled at him and greeted his mum pleasantly. She ignored his dad. Harry looked much the same as he had the time he'd unexpectedly dropped by school. Except he was holding a baby.

A baby.

It occurred to him only then that a pregnant Ally might actually have meant there would be a baby in the future. He did some quick math in his head while still scrambling for something to say and came up with a discrepancy. Harry had only met Ally last summer and she'd been pretty far along then. He felt pretty certain the baby wasn't Harry's.

Of course then she shifted in Harry's arms and he was awarded a wide green eyed look. Jesus.

'Her name is Molly,' Harry said, noticing his look. 'She's my daughter.'

Honestly, after that bombshell even a really big and fatty burger couldn't have moved his attention away from the small blonde creature.

'There are some things you should know.'

And that was how Dudley ended up spending a night eating really good unhealthy food while holding a small blonde baby that would one day call him uncle.


	2. Chapter 2

**a/n: **I know its been far too long and most of you were probably hoping for an update of TotP but this just came out. I hope you enjoy it as much as i enjoy getting a chnace to write Dudley.

**No Regrets**

This new school was a far cry from Smeltings, it had none of the pomp of his old school but Dudley Dursley couldn't say that was a bad thing. In fact for the first time in his life, Dudley had friends he actually thought liked him for him and not because he was the biggest and meanest kid on the playground.

It wasn't something that they ever talked about at home, the changes he'd made in his life. At home they didn't talk about any of the changes that had happened in their lives. His dad had found a new job (one he hated), his mum had gotten a job for the first time in her life (gossip column for the local paper – she loved it) he had a new school, new friends, a whole new attitude. Thinking about it, it was probably this new attitude that had helped him make friends.

He'd been nervous that first day, he was just lucky that it was the first day of the new school year and he wasn't being forced to start in the middle of a term. He hadn't been intending to get noticed, had tried his best to keep his head down and just get on with things but they'd been discussing King Arthur in his English class and the topic of Merlin had inevitably come up and he'd snorted a laugh before he could stop himself. He'd been thinking that Harry would have found the whole topic hysterical and the laugh had escaped him.

His teacher hadn't noticed but the girl sitting in the seat beside him had and she'd given him a quizzical look and a smile which he'd returned – after flushing bright red. Three months later and Georgia was his new best friend, their quartet was rounded out by Georgia's next door neighbour Adam and his twin sister Paris.

His mum had never come out and said it but he knew that she felt these new friends had been a wonderful influence on him. It went unsaid that Harry had been responsible for the majority of the changes in Dudley but the confidence that these new friends gave him had done a great deal to improve his attitude and how he acted.

He'd been honest with his friends, hadn't tried to be anything other than what he was but he had never been able to tell them about his past. How could he explain why he'd moved without having to explain about Harry? No matter how he looked at it, Dudley knew that his entire life until this point had been touched and shaped by the magical world. It was a huge part of his life but he couldn't share it with his new friends.

He told them what he could, that he lived with his parents and that they'd lost their old house to a fire. He'd told them that it was an accident that his mother had taken as an opportunity to start her life again in a new place. He'd never mentioned that another boy had grown up in that same house; he didn't think he could ever explain Harry to friends who had never known him. But on a Thursday in late November he was forced to acknowledge that hidden part of his life in a most unexpected way.

They were having a good natured argument about dinner, Georgia was determined to have her way and take them to the new Indian restaurant that had opened up around the corner from her work, Adam was arguing for a simple burger while Paris and Dudley were trying to argue the value of pizza. In theory they outvoted the others but Dudley had come to learn that Georgia could be almost as stubborn as Harry's friend Ginny Weasley and when she got to arguing with Adam it was best to just stand back and let the battle rage.

'Hey,' Paris said suddenly, touching Dudley's arm and nodding over his shoulder, 'Do you know her?'

Curious, Dudley turned to see what she was looking at and his eyes widened in surprise. For a moment all he could do was gape and that was enough to get Georgia and Adam's attention. They were standing in a small crowd outside the old movie theatre that was playing _Back to the Future_ but she'd managed to find him all the same. Ally Martin – or was it Potter? – was standing across the street watching him with a smile, Molly held in her arms facing him across the street. When she noticed him watching her she waved.

'Dudley?' Paris questioned.

A huge smile bloomed on his face and he said the first thing that came to mind, 'That's my brother's girlfriend and their daughter.'

He crossed the street, barely pausing to check for traffic and a moment later Ally had her arm around him in a one-armed hug of greeting. She kissed his cheek as she stepped back and he turned his surprised expression on Molly. She giggled and reached out to him. Dudley hesitated but Ally gently passed Molly to him. It was at this point that his friends caught up.

'Oh she's beautiful,' Paris murmured, coming up behind Dudley to peer at Molly over his shoulder.

Georgia slapped him lightly on the arm, 'Why didn't you tell us you had a brother?'

Ally looked up sharply at the word, eyes locking with Dudley's and showing him just how surprised she was to hear that word used in reference to Harry. Then Dudley smiled and her expression softened.

'There is no simple way to tell you about Harry Potter,' Dudley said wisely, with a little bit of humour. 'When you meet him, you'll understand.'

Over Indian food Dudley got to see firsthand what it would be like for his two worlds to collide. He watched Ally talk about her life like she was just another muggle, with enough references for Dudley to understand the wealth of information she was hiding. She wheedled stories of his first days out of his friends and they got the story of their first meeting out of her.

Chewing thoughtfully on a piece of garlic naan, Dudley couldn't help but smile. Here in a half empty restaurant over a boisterous dinner with new friends and new family Dudley knew that he would be alright. He'd make amends, he'd put things right and he'd do it with great friends and a great family. He was such a long way from the whale of a boy who had smoked and laughed as he terrorised the neighbourhood.

And despite it all, the up and downs, the loss of old friends and his childhood home, the threat of death hanging over his shoulders, Dudley Dursley wouldn't change a thing.


	3. Chapter 3

**a/n: **Thanks everyone for your continued support, i'm quite enjoying having this little side series going, its a great place to put all the ideas that come to me (this one in the shower while i was supposed to be going over a lesson plan). Thanks so much for all of the reviews!

**Nightmare. New.**

Ever since he was fourteen Dudley Dursley has had the same recurring nightmare. In it he wakes up to his alarm at 6:30am, squeezes himself into a shower and doesn't look in the mirror. When he goes down to breakfast he has to pause on the landing to catch his breath. In the kitchen there is a woman standing by the stove, she shows the signs of a once great beauty but there is a strain around her eyes he pretends not to see. She greets him warmly but he doesn't believe she means it. She married him for his money and she's been considering leaving him for ten years.

Breakfast is bacon and eggs and he can feel his chins wobbling and sweat beading on his forehead. When he stands to leave for work he catches sight of himself in the glass panel of the living room door. He looks just like his father. Same red face, same bushy moustache and the same suit and tie he'd seen his father wear a thousand times before.

Last week Dudley Dursley turned twenty five.

He wakes to the sound of his alarm every morning at 5am and rolls out of bed to open the window for the delivery owl. He dresses quietly in the dark and slips out the front door of his London flat. He goes for a run in the park. He'll never be as skinny as his cousin but he'll never be as overweight as the Dudley in his nightmare either. He passes the same girl running in the opposite direction every morning, sometimes they stop for a chat, sometimes they just smile.

When he gets home he showers and looks himself in the mirror. He likes what he sees, there's no moustache, no bulging vein or red flush that isn't a result of a very hot shower. He's solidly built but he's made it work for him. He puts the deodorant back in the cabinet beside a bottle of perfume that snuck its way in there months before. His breakfast is healthy, he's had to learn to cook, but he makes it work for him.

When he leaves for work it's in jeans and a t-shirt, he jogs down the stairs and out into the crisp morning air. When he gets to the station he'll pull on his "uniform", the badge and persona that will see him through his day. He'll check his messages and he'll share a grin with his partner. Today is a special day, his partner will give him shit all day and spend more time taking the mickey out of him than running down leads.

He doesn't talk to his dad anymore, only sees his mum when she makes the trip into the city but he's happier now than ever before. He sees his brother after work twice a week for a pint and he watches his nieces once a week on date night. He has friends, colleagues and a girl. He's lost a lot too, family and friends, seen more than most of his colleagues would believe, both magical and muggle.

And it was all worth it.

Tonight he's making dinner for his girl; he'll set the table nicely maybe light a candle. Instead of serving desert he'll get down on one knee.

He'll never have the nightmare again.


End file.
